Detours
by icynovas
Summary: [S/C] Collection of oneshots/drabbles set in the time-loop verse. IX - Implications: Sephiroth would like Cloud to be a little more outspoken.
1. Breath

This is set in the same verse as _Again and Again and Again_, _Anniversaries_, and _Spider Silk_ (better known as the time-loop verse, though). It's a collection of drabbles with different themes and kinks. I hope they'll all be decent. Also, please forgive me for the crappy titles.

Many thanks for the lovely and amazing** lettersfromthegreenroom** (tumblr)/**suliel** (here) for helping me out with this.

**Title:** Breath.

**Summary:** And how many times did I kill you, anyway?

**Notes/Warnings:** Attempt at asphyxiation.

* * *

**Detours**

Breath

* * *

Surprisingly enough, it happened by complete accident.

In a mindless moment - the haze of driving into the heat of Cloud's body overriding his senses - Sephroth placed his hand on Cloud's throat, to steady himself or because he secretly desired this, he wasn't sure.

What he was sure of, however, was that his grip tightened with every thrust, fascinated by the feel of blood flowing through the vein under his thumb.

Cloud, for his part, only raised an eyebrow, the discomfort of limited breathing showing the slightest bit on his flushed features - and when Sephiroth loosened his grip, arousal sparking at the way Cloud rolled his hips just so _right_, Cloud dragged him by the hair down until their foreheads pressed.

"Are you finally trying to kill me?" Despite his sharp intake of breath and the soft sighs he made as it steadied - Sephiroth was struck by just how _much_ those sounds appealed to him - Cloud was amused, Sephiroth could tell by the curl at the side of his mouth and the faded warmth in his tone.

"And if I am?" Sephiroth asked, pointedly tightening his grip again.

Cloud didn't answer, eyes lidded and lips curved in a smirk. He didn't remove his hand.

Between the sighs and gasps and groans and moans - that only made Sephiroth fuck Cloud harder, that only made him want to set off the fires of defiance in the blue that bored into his green - Cloud taunted, reminding him of how his previous attempts at killing him went so far.

_"Three to zero... it must hurt."_

He pulled his hand away, his mouth latching onto Cloud's before the other could even _think_ of breathing.

It wasn't only anger - to shut that mouth up for once - that drove him to kiss Cloud like this, fiercely and with abandon. Morbid as it was - even for_ him_ \- Cloud's taunting spurred him on, turned him_ on._ The desire of consuming him whole, to place him under his thrall, was the driving force behind the increased pace of his thrusts.

Sephiroth tore his mouth away to take one breath, only to get back in immediately, his eyes quickly memorizing the arch of Cloud's back as he let out a long, breathy moan, a word he suspected to be his name forming only to be cut off abruptly.

Purposefully neglected until now, Sephiroth circled his hand around Cloud's cock, in sync with the thrusts of tongue and hips.

He had Cloud under his thrall now, Sephiroth realized, as blue eyes gazed up to him dazedly and with obvious, undeniable desire, and that fact was almost his undoing.

When Cloud pulled him back again, silently _begging_ him to go even faster, his breath utterly ragged and his sighs so soft, Sephiroth obliged and confirmed that it _was_ his name Cloud was trying so desperately to choke back as he came hard. Too overwhelmed by the sight and sensation, it wasn't long before Sephiroth followed, choking back a name as well.

"Technically... it was two." Sephiroth didn't care if he was panting, if the haze of pleasure was clearly evident in his features. He whispered into Cloud's ear, "I wasn't trying that third time."

Cloud made an odd sound - it suspiciously sounded like laughter - before he replied, hand tangled in Sephiroth's hair and arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him even closer, "Just make sure there won't be a fourth."

Mouth pressed against neck, Sephiroth merely smirked, opting to lightly nip warm skin than to give a reply.


	2. Pliant

**Title:** Pliant.

**Summary:** The notion of giving his back to Sephiroth of all people was absurd.

**Notes/Warnings:** Massages.

* * *

**Detours**

Pliant

* * *

"Even relaxed, you look as if you're ready to pick up your sword and fight."

It was useless to ask how the hell did Sephiroth know where he was, how he managed to get into the room in the first place, so Cloud buried his face in the soft pillow and mumbled, "With you around, I can't be blamed."

Sephiroth hummed thoughtfully as he got up from the bed. Cloud heard him move around the small inn-room as though he was preparing something, but Cloud never bothered asking_ what_, opting to pretend to be back to sleep - even if sleep was the farthest thing from his mind now, even if the notion of giving his back to _Sephiroth_ of all people was absurd.

When Sephiroth was finally done with whatever thing he was preparing, he went back to the bed-side, lifting the sheets and straddling him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Cloud asked, halfway between alarm and anticipation upon feeling hands slowly freeing him from his boxers.

"Helping." And then Cloud felt something warm and fragrant being dripped on his back. It was only when Sephiroth used his hands to thoroughly spread it that Cloud realized it was a kind of oil. Judging from what Sephiroth was about to do, it was a _massage_ oil.

Cloud was about to ask why he'd bother when Sephiroth pressed his thumbs in a circular motion against the small of Cloud's back. He didn't even know he ached there, but the feeling of momentarily being relieved of the pain was enough to make him groan softly.

He heard Sephiroth letting out an amused chuckle above him. "Pleased to know that you're enjoying this."

Before Cloud could try and argue, the pleasant press against a knot on his upper back tore a throaty moan out of him.

It was as if Sephiroth knew where to touch and where to firmly knead. Cloud was honestly embarrassed by how loudly he expressed his enjoyment of the treatment - he was so very grateful that the pillow muffled the noises he made - how he was a _putty_ in Sephiroth's hands.

Sephiroth's touch slowly became more intimate, more of a foreplay than the massage it initially was, and when one of Sephiroth's hands slid down between Cloud's legs to circle around an achingly-hard, leaking cock - he didn't even realize his aroused state in the high of relaxation - Cloud arched upwards, too-far-gone to muffle his moans, as a result pressing against Sephiroth's nude front, and feeling exactly how _affected_ he was by this as well.

Cloud let out a frustrated hiss when Sephiroth pulled his hand away, tensing when he felt lips kissing the point where shoulder and neck met, and then lightly mouthing his neck from behind. He felt Sephiroth gasping quietly against his neck when he arched again from the pleasure of having Sephiroth's hand returning to where he wanted most. Cloud made sure to ground thoroughly against him, smirking when the gasp above him turned into a groan.

Sephiroth's pace increased abruptly at that, and Cloud simply couldn't hold back anymore.

He felt boneless when Sephiroth made him turn to face him, gazing down at him intensely, lustfully, and Cloud returned it all in kind despite being utterly spent, both of them panting harshly.

He dragged Sephiroth down to kiss him, rough and urgent, knowing that this treatment was far from over.


	3. Gentle

**Title:** Gentle.

**Summary:** Sephiroth needed a distraction.

**Notes/Warnings:** Slow/gentle sex.

* * *

**Detours**

Gentle

* * *

In one unremarkable morning, Sephiroth opened his eyes and felt immediately agitated.

They happened at times, these days where he felt restless, completely purposeless. They were either triggered by a word or an action, or by simply waking up to see that he was in his room in ShinRa — nothing to look forward to or plan.

Oddly enough, he missed the conflict, that first conflict, back when he was driven by the need of revenge and conquer. He missed the days where he believed in JENOVA's cause and actively sought and manipulated and came back with a renewed vengeance.

He couldn't really return to that point anymore and even if he could, how long it would be before it grew repetitive?

Running a hand through his hair in frustration, Sephiroth growled, so lowly it was barely heard. He needed a distraction, something to keep this useless, baseless _anxiousness_ away from his thoughts.

_**How… human.**_

_"What?"_

It surprised him that Cloud actually picked up; he did say not to bother calling _after_ he gave him his number. Then again, mixed signals was an understatement when dealing with Cloud.

Sephiroth supposed he surprised him back, if the way he tensed, the way he remained unresponsive a moment too long when Sephiroth dragged him forwards the moment he opened his inn-room's door, kissing him breathless, was any indication.

He could've taken Cloud right then and there, but it wasn't what he was here for at the moment. So familiar with the workings of the Cloud's clothing, he quickly had him nude and gasping beneath him.

He triggered all the points that made Cloud lose control — a kiss on the jaw, a bite on the neck, a slow roll of hips — and as he anticipated, Cloud flipped them, now on top of him and working on his coat's buckles. It always took Cloud too long to take off his clothes — before and after his regain of his memories — and sometimes, Sephiroth would get impatient and take them off himself as Cloud irritably told him that _maybe_ he should invest in something more simple.

This time, he was too confused to think of helping out by how unhurried Cloud appeared, not one sign of frustration or impatience showing in his features.

As the oddly-paced ministrations continued, Sephiroth slowly came to realize that Cloud was actually being _gentle_.

Peppered kisses against his throat, slow drags of tongue across the planes of his chest — he couldn't help but note the precision in them, how they mapped the points where he was killed _again and again and again_ by Cloud — light yet constant strokes of his cock, a thumb teasing the slit, and slow, firm thrusts following the agonizingly teasing prep that weren't as deep as he knew Cloud could make them be…

… and Sephiroth couldn't be this _close_ already, he _refused_ to be. He twisted his fingers harshly through soft spikes, using that as a leverage to make Cloud look up at him — to make him go rougher, faster. To make Sephiroth come the way he _needed_.

Cloud didn't appear bothered by the pulling, somehow calm even when his face was flushed and his breathing was erratic. He removed the hand from his head, kissing it softly to the forearm — Sephiroth wouldn't _beg_, not even when his arousal heightened unreasonably by the gesture — before he murmured against it, "I'll go in my own pace, fucking you like this until you forget your own _name_."

_His name. What he was feared and followed and respected and admired and envied for._

And he did. It wasn't what Sephiroth wanted, but the defiance to his needs made him want this even more. His world revolved on it — on Cloud, just like it once did in a different way — no doubts and no useless thoughts coming into mind.

There was no use to dwell on them, no use to think of what his current purpose was, no reason to share his frustrations about this all to Cloud.

Besides, even so lost in consuming pleasure, Sephiroth had the thought that Cloud was as lost as he was.


	4. Conflict

**Title:** Conflict.

**Summary:** Everything with Sephiroth was a struggle.

**Notes/Warnings:** Solo.

* * *

**Detours **

Conflict

* * *

Everything with Sephiroth was a struggle.

It was a struggle tracking him down in that grueling quest. It was a struggle resisting his control. It was a struggle facing him, defeating him, time and time again.

And as Cloud now discovered, his body and a half - or maybe more? - of his heart yearning and longing for the touch and presence they had been denied, it was a struggle to stop _thinking_ about him, to _want_ him near and flush against him.

A month had passed since his defection from ShinRa - a month since entering this new life. He adjusted fine mostly, but there were a few things - like the _very_ thought of Sephiroth - that plagued him and robbed him the sleep.

If he stilled, maybe the cold shower he was taking would _actually_ have an effect. He willed his hands to stay on his sides, never straying or touching more than what was necessary, not willing to give in - even when the thought of succumbing to his desires made his breath catch in his throat.

All the illusions of resistance he had, however, were soon banished when his shoulder briefly touched cold tile, reminding him of another instance where he felt the same shiver, only to be forgotten about as he was pressed more firmly against it - a mouth on his neck, a hand on his waist, and a body slowly grounding against his.

Cloud didn't know when his hand reached for his cock, but he knew now that he was vividly remembering Sephiroth's lidded eyes as he did the same to him, he couldn't get himself to stop.

"Fuck..." It felt too good it was almost painful, to finally give his ignored desires the attention they required. He threw his head back as he increased his pace, the overwhelming sensations tearing breathy moans out of his throat - and he was grateful, so very grateful, that the shower's sound halfway muffled them. But then he slowed, wanting to torture himself right before reaching the brink.

_"How admirable, holding yourself back..."_

He could _feel_ Sephiroth's whispers resonating in him, the memory too vivid Cloud thought he'd see him if he opened his eyes. "Gaia... _fuck_."

The memory continued, and Sephiroth went down, smirking upon noticing his anticipating shiver before he swiftly took his cock into his mouth and _sucked_, not even bothering to tease.

Cloud vowed to never cry out his enemy's - his _lover_'s - name like this, but as he bucked his hips into his hand and pressed his back against the wall, he found himself doing it, yet another crack into his will. He only took comfort from the fact that Sephiroth would never hear him moaning and groaning his name like a mantra as he came, that this would remain his own dark secret - because he_ knew_ what Sephiroth did once, and it still couldn't stop him, _wouldn't_ stop him. "Oh, fuck, _Sephiroth._"

He breathed heavily, still in disbelief over what he just did, berating himself for being disappointed when he opened his eyes and saw that he was all alone.


	5. Show

**Title:** Show.

**Summary:** He wasn't going to be the first to give in, not so early into the game.

**Notes/Warnings:** Basically giving a show, or a lap-dance... without the dancing part.

* * *

**Detours**

Show

* * *

_Don't move. Keep your hands on your sides. Watch._

It was one of the rare times where Cloud sneaked up the ShinRa headquarters and into Sephiroth's apartment. As a _reward_ — there were these _'moods'_ Sephiroth got that Cloud learned to go along with — Sephiroth had him sitting on a chair in an empty room, telling him those instructions before he took off his boots, and then started loosening his coat's buckles.

Cloud watched, utterly transfixed, as the coat slid off Sephiroth's shoulders and fell into a pool on the floor. He couldn't deny the dazed way his eyes followed the outlines of Sephiroth's chest. Sephiroth noticed, at any rate, and his smirk was utterly smug.

Then Sephiroth smoothed his hair back, his hand trailing from his neck down to his abdomen and to his groin, the other lightly pinching his right nipple, and Cloud's mouth dried and his breath hitched.

Sephiroth cupped the growing bulge through leather, rubbing a bit before he zipped down his pants and took it off, the hurry in which he did it contrasting with his earlier teasing. But instead of reaching for his already leaking cock, Sephiroth walked towards Cloud, leaning over him using the back of the chair.

Their faces were close, the sound of deep breathing ringing in each other's ears, and they couldn't look away, _wouldn't_ look away, both knowing completely how this affair would unfold.

The sheer intensity of Cloud's look made Sephiroth shiver, and he held back a moan when he moved, circling a gloved hand around heated flesh and trying to even his breathing — he wasn't going to be the first to give in, not so early into the game. He noticed Cloud's hand twitching from the corner of his eye and he smirked, purring as he asked, "Giving up already?"

He didn't receive an answer, at least not in words — only a muffled groan, blue eyes taking in his hand's movements and then looking back at him, at how increasingly affected Sephiroth was becoming by this — he could _feel_ the heat creeping to his face, he could feel his bangs sticking to his forehead — with a burning _hunger._

That made Sephiroth pump his aching cock harder, faster — the growls Cloud was letting out despite himself, his obvious frustration over his restrictions, spurring him on. He put his knee on the chair between Cloud's spread thighs, pressed against his clothed erection.

But Cloud wasn't _allowed_ to move, though, he wasn't allowed to rub against his knee _hard_ the way he desperately wanted now. "_Sephiroth…_" It was a whisper, a groan, a growl, a moan and a plea — coming from parted lips, eyes hazy with lust gazing up at Sephiroth.

It shot straight to his groin and Gaia he was so _close._ "Please," Sephiroth panted, his forehead on Cloud's shoulder — for his release, or for Cloud to give in, he couldn't decide.

They were driving each other _mad_, both refusing to give in to what they both desired.

Cloud wasn't sure why he was following Sephiroth's earlier instructions, not moving when all he wanted was to be _all over him_ — touch him, suck him off, fuck him, _anything_. But he was still, even if his eyes almost rolled back upon seeing the way Sephiroth arched, bucking his hips furiously into his hand, his long hair falling around him, almost like threads of light dancing in the dimly-lit room — so unearthly _beautiful_. The friction Sephiroth's knee offered was maddening — it wasn't enough. He might've moaned or growled Sephiroth's name again, but he was honestly past the point of caring anymore.

The — needy, aching, _desperate_ — sounds Cloud was making were intoxicating, so much that, in his too delirious state, a breathy whisper of his name was enough to send Sephiroth over the edge, his eyes closed and his words incoherent until he — slowly, so slowly — became calm enough to _breathe_.

Sephiroth looked down at Cloud, at the lovely image of desperation and frustration he made, the desire in his eyes, before he kissed him, long and bruising.

"Fuck me, Cloud," Sephiroth murmured when he pulled away.

In a single moment, the chair fell sideways and Sephiroth's back was pressed against the floor, fingers tangled tightly in his hair as he was kissed breathlessly again.


	6. Daydream

**Title:** Daydream.

**Summary:** Cloud was free in his sleep.

**Notes/Warnings:** Erotic dreams.

* * *

**Detours**

Daydream

* * *

Throughout this affair with Cloud, Sephiroth discovered many of his quirks, especially in slumber.

Cloud always made sure a measure of space existed between the two of them. At first, when no other memories marred his mind, it was out of self-consciousness, because apparently Cloud could sleep in some rather _bizarre_ positions. But when his past life resurfaced, it was obvious that Cloud kept his distance due to wariness.

It didn't matter in the end; eventually Cloud would end up close, arm wrapped almost possessively around Sephiroth's waist and mouth pressed against the side of his neck. Sephiroth found it awfully endearing.

Sephiroth gently turned Cloud's face into view at times, marveling on the lovely sight he made deep asleep. He looked peaceful, utterly unguarded - free in his expressions in a way he never was while awake.

At the moment, Cloud's breath on his neck was unsteady, noticeably hitching. Sephiroth didn't need to look at Cloud's face to conclude what was happening. He smirked when Cloud started to shift, slowly rubbing his hardening cock against him.

He always wondered what sort of dreams Cloud had, what images he saw in his mind's eye that were so _vivid_, their effect manifested in unconscious actions. Sephiroth was the sole subject of them, he knew, by the exquisite way Cloud gasped out his name, frantic and untamed, and it was a fact that had him both amused and breathless.

There was something incredibly erotic about being wanted by your enemy, being needed by your lover even in dreams. To give Cloud what he desperately reached for was incredibly tempting, especially when Cloud's movement aroused him as well, but Sephiroth willed his all to remain still. It would be terrible to interrupt Cloud's dream, wouldn't it?

Fully hard now, Cloud's pace turned feverish and his words were swallowed by his moans. The few ones that Sephiroth could hear clearly were in a language he didn't recognize but was sure they were in Cloud's native tongue. More than anything, Sephiroth wanted to know the meaning of a certain sentence Cloud liked to say when he thought Sephiroth was unaware. There was reverence in its words, an intense warmth that made Sephiroth want to wake Cloud up and ravish him until each of his walls crumbled and he repeated those enticing words over and over again, fully awake and pleading to come.

As it was, Sephiroth settled for biting back a groan as Cloud stirred awake, just before his dreams undid him.

Standing up, Cloud ran a hand through his hair to compose himself, face flushed. Seemingly too caught up in his embarrassment, confusion, and frustration, he didn't notice that Sephiroth was wide awake and witnessed everything as he left to take a shower, but perhaps it was more due to denial than obliviousness.

Waiting a short while, Sephiroth stood up and followed, wordlessly joining Cloud under the stream of water, pinning him to the wall as he kissed him slow and deep, each kiss writing his affection – _love_, because it was nothing else - on Cloud's warm skin.

Cloud never questioned his timing, simply taking what was given to him.

Sephiroth wondered how long they would keep up this secret dance.


	7. Sound

**Title:** Sound.

**Summary:** Cloud loved Sephiroth's voice.

**Notes/Warnings:** Voice-kink.

* * *

**Detours**

Sound

* * *

Cloud loved Sephiroth's voice.

He loved it when it was smooth and silky, every word and syllable coming out in a seductive purr – cold and wicked promises rolling in one and Cloud would shiver from both dread and want. Sweet nothings played in his mind as he fucked himself thoughtless, a moaning mess reverently gasping his lov–_enemy_'s name. Sephiroth liked to call out his name like this the most, as if he enjoyed it, as if he _knew_.

He loved it when it was rough and urgent, a sign of broken façade, a mix of hatred and lust that felt dizzyingly gratifying. It felt familiar, that intense, wild conflict, an addicting thrill that only one of them could give to the other. Overwhelmed by his desires and emotions, Sephiroth would call his name with a sharp edge, as if he hated being brought down by his need to have Cloud in any way he could get. It was a hazy sensation that resonated in Cloud so powerfully.

He loved it when it was soft and breathy, driven beyond the limits of coherency. It didn't matter if he was on top of Sephiroth or beneath him, whether he rode Sephiroth's cock mercilessly or took it whole into his mouth – whether he fucked Sephiroth with his cock or fingers or tongue. Having Sephiroth moan and breathe and gasp his name with a delirious sort of need – like a spell he'd die without – had Cloud feeling absolutely feverish, _lost._

He loved it when it was fond and warm, and _Gaia_, how he hopelessly did. He knew he shouldn't, that his heart shouldn't beat furiously in his chest from hearing those loving words, from being fixed with those adoring gazes – they were proof that this wasn't just a matter of lust for Sephiroth, that there was something _deeper_ running underneath. Whenever Sephiroth smiled – gentle and oddly kind – as he said his name, kissing the side of his jaw, Cloud knew his own adoration and fondness and _love_ seeped through.

Sephiroth's voice was the silken path to a gorgeous cage; one Cloud locked himself in willingly time and time again.


	8. Dim

**Title:** Dim.

**Summary:** The one perk of being in the dark.

**Notes/Warnings:** Sensory deprivation, wing-kink.

* * *

**Detours**

Dim

* * *

In the fragmented memories he had left, Sephiroth didn't remember ever being afraid of the dark, but his existence in the Lifestream made him grow weary of tolerating it.

It was all choking darkness as the spirits beckoned him to join, let himself be absorbed into the Planet. Being aware and conscious and itching to get back to the living world was an agony in those surroundings. The Lifestream wasn't a place for ambitions and schemes, and Sephiroth couldn't be more ill-fit within it.

He took and reached for every chance he could get to leave, to have the stars lighting his way to his desires.

_Seeing_ Cloud's face again – the one who sentenced him to that terrible existence more than once – the disbelief and the cold dread in his eyes, felt absolutely _gratifying._

He remembered his voice coming out in a purr, the sheer elation he felt conveyed vividly with every syllable of Cloud's name. Being defeated again did nothing to deter him – it only had him itching to come back once again.

Many lifetimes had passed since then; his desires, ambitions, even his state of being had changed.

Currently, Cloud had him sitting on the floor with his legs bent and spread, his wing extending out proudly. The blindfold tied around his head blocked his sight, and it felt just like being in the Lifestream once again.

"Where do I start?" Cloud whispered into his ear, lightly stroking his wing. Those soft touches on the feathers tore the faintest moan from Sephiroth's throat. "Your neck? Your chest? Maybe your wing? Or maybe your thighs?" Cloud sounded significantly more pleased as he continued his questioning, pointedly touching every place he spoke about with his fingertips.

"It's your choice in the end," Sephiroth answered, voice already hoarse. Without his sight, every other sense he had was magnified – every reverent touch and every wanton whisper affected him _tenfold._

"You're right." And Sephiroth made an audible gasp, struck breathless by the feel of Cloud trailing the wing from base to tip with his mouth. His hips bucked into the grip Cloud had on his cock, so incredibly overwhelmed by the sensations.

Cloud pulled away to gently guide Sephiroth to bend forwards, until he was on his hands and knees. But instead of fucking him _raw_ like Sephiroth desperately wanted, Cloud fingered him slowly, teasingly unhurried – even when Sephiroth could feel how painfully hard he was against him.

"Lovely," Cloud murmured, so openly fond and appreciative. He caressed his wing, kissing the tips he could reach. The thought of what kind of look he had in his eyes made Sephiroth shiver.

It was an absolute torture, and when Cloud did finally fuck him – firm and relentless, tugging at his hair and wing, wonderfully speaking of Cloud's need – it wasn't long before Sephiroth came moaning so brokenly, driven incoherent by pleasure.

He waited until Cloud found his own release before turning around, swiftly taking the blindfold off.

The first thing he saw was Cloud's flushed face – eyes gazing down at him, hazy with such an intense want.

Taking Cloud's lips for a hungry kiss, Sephiroth thought that being in the dark wouldn't be so terrible if he had a sight like this to look forward to upon getting out of it.


	9. Implications

**Title:** Implications.

**Summary:** Sephiroth would like Cloud to be a little more outspoken.

**Notes/Warnings:** Nothing, really. This one's pretty tame.

* * *

**Detours**

Implications

* * *

"I've been set up on a date," Sephiroth started, the moment Cloud entered his apartment – from the window, of course. Entering through doors ceased to be Cloud's style, it seemed. "They said that it's been years since you deserted ShinRa, that I need to get over you." Although… unlike Angeal and Genesis, Zack didn't seem too enthused about it, giving his agreement with that plan reluctantly. Sephiroth could relate, and he couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the reminder. It was a doomed quest, trying to get over Cloud. His life and death were testament to that.

Sephiroth didn't miss it, the way Cloud's eyes widened a fraction, the way he paused a moment too long before he snorted. "And who's that unfortunate soul you've been set up with?"

"Some SOLDIER Third. They say he's a good match for me," Sephiroth answered as he made a show of searching for clothes to wear for tonight's date, all while wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his hips. Quite honestly, he couldn't recall the SOLDIER's name, but he was sure it started with a _B._

He noticed that Cloud avoided looking at him in the eye before he spoke, "Good luck for your date then," and he still didn't look as he continued on, "It's about time we broke this whole thing off, anyway, maybe give chances to other people."

A surge of countless emotions overwhelmed Sephiroth, and most of them were gradients of fury and possessiveness, but a different sentiment broke out through the haze filling his mind: _shock._ "All this time, and never once did you…?"

"It doesn't matter," Cloud replied, defensive, but Sephiroth glimpsed the red creeping up his neck and then to his face. Cloud didn't mean for Sephiroth to catch the other implications in his words, he realized, and it made him smile, a warmth no one but Cloud could ignite fueling his actions as he walked towards him, finally disregarding the charade he was playing.

"I'm not letting anyone else have you," Sephiroth murmured, gently turning Cloud's face to him.

"Well, aren't you a selfish bastard?" Cloud drawled, looking up at him, but there was both amusement and annoyance hidden underneath.

"At least I can admit it," Sephiroth said, kissing the corner of Cloud's mouth, loving the way his breath hitched.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think?" he voiced out, low and throaty, against Cloud's lips.

* * *

On the date, Sephiroth showed up in a shirt buttoned up at the very ends and the trousers he usually wore with his uniform. His hair was a mussed disarray, his lips were kissed an angry red, and the skin his barely-buttoned shirt revealed was flushed and marked all over. Couple all of that with the incriminating contentment he felt, the obscene satisfaction in his eyes and smirk, and it wasn't a surprise that his date made a hasty retreat on first sight.

Sephiroth was mildly amused as he was scolded later on, being told that he should've shared the fact that he had someone already before they bothered setting him up on a date, that this display he made of himself was unnecessary – cruel, even.

He didn't try to argue that it was Cloud who kissed him harder when Sephiroth reminded him that he needed to get ready. It was Cloud who left marks in places that couldn't be easily hidden by clothing. It was Cloud who expressed sympathy for his date in the same breath he moaned his name. It was Cloud who gave him little time to prepare.

It was Cloud who kept his words of affection and caring and _jealousy_ scarce, slipping through his kisses and touch, and Sephiroth greedily craved them.

Then again… they did say that actions spoke louder than words, and Cloud wasn't really the most talkative.


End file.
